I have recently bought parts to make a small tripod out of my ULCS tray. Ideally I would like to fold the legs and take it with me all the time and make it neutral however as a tripod it is probably best to have it quite negative.

I have been thinking of a clip with a weight to attach to it when I leave it behind and still have it quite light when I hold it as a tray

Has anybody got some experiences with a similar set up?

More in general what are the tips and techniques using tripod and what are the key limitations?

I have a trip to Bunaken and Lembeh in 11 days and am planning to use the tripod in Lembeh only as Bunaken is walls

I will be doing something very similar in Fiji. I'll be using the ULCS tripod and a clip weight to anchor it down. But for me the dives will be planned for tripod use and I will not be carrying it with me each dive. This is to say that I will not be employing any neutral buoyancy mechanisms as this to me creates too much planing and extra gear/work to fiddle with underwater.

Edited by Kelpfish, 05 May 2013 - 04:51 AM.

Joe BelangerAuthor, Catalina Island - All you Need to Knowwww.californiaunderwater.comwww.visitingcatalina.com

Maybe you can buy a tank weight pouch and use a short length of webbing to connect it to the tripod. Then, when you need weight, just pop in a 1kg weight from the dive boat.

I've used tripods but, in the end, prefer a monopod. Just seems to be more versatile. Can also work straight forwards onto a wall. Not so good for set and swim away shots but I can usually find a rock or two for the other two points.

Main limitation of a tripod is getting it pointed in the right direction. Unless you have some kind of ball head, making fine adjustments in direction is fiddly.

Bunaken does have some places where you might use a tripod. It is not all walls.

I carry an additional 3lb threaded weight and loop it through a bit of string attached to the centre if my tripod for this purpose. When not in use I put the weight in a pocket instead. Carrying around extra weight is still a pain - you end up with a lot of extra air in your BCD to compensate, which you have to dump each time you put the tripod down. It's worth it for dedicated tripod dives, but I wouldn't do it every time.